1
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Skorodumova LO, Grafskaia EN, Kharlampieva DD, Maltsev DI, Petrova TV, Kanygina AV, Fedoseeva EV, Makarov PV, Malyugin BE. TACSTD2 in gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophy: variant functional analysis and expression in the cornea after limbal stem cell transplantation. Hum Genome Var 2024; 11:26. [PMID: 39013858 PMCID: PMC11252363 DOI: 10.1038/s41439-024-00284-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophy (GDLD) is a rare autosomal recessive eye disease. GDLD is characterized by the loss of barrier function in corneal epithelial cells (CECs) and amyloid deposition due to pathogenic variants in the TACSTD2 gene. Limbal stem cell transplantation (LSCT) has been suggested as an effective therapeutic alternative for patients with GDLD. However, despite LSCT, amyloid deposition recurs in some patients. The pathogenesis of recurrence is poorly studied. We present the case of a patient with GDLD. Genetic analysis revealed a homozygous deletion, NM_002353.3:c.653del, in the TACSTD2 gene. Functional analysis in a cell model system revealed the loss of the transmembrane domain and subcellular protein mislocalization. The patient with GDLD underwent direct allogeneic LSCT with epithelial debridement followed by deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty 10 months later due to amyloid deposition and deterioration of vision. Taken together, the results of transcriptome analysis and immunofluorescence staining of post-LSCT corneal sample with amyloid deposits obtained during keratoplasty demonstrated complete restoration of wild-type TACSTD2 expression, indicating that donor CECs replaced host CECs. Our study provides experimental evidence that amyloid deposition can recur after LSCT despite complete restoration of wild-type TACSTD2 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liubov O Skorodumova
- Laboratory of Human Molecular Genetics, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russian Federation.
| | - Ekaterina N Grafskaia
- Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Daria D Kharlampieva
- Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Dmitry I Maltsev
- Laboratory of Neurotechnology, Federal Center of Brain Research and Neurotechnologies, Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Tatiana V Petrova
- Laboratory of Human Molecular Genetics, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Alexandra V Kanygina
- Laboratory of Human Molecular Genetics, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Elena V Fedoseeva
- Department of Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Helmholtz National Medical Research Center of Eye Diseases, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Pavel V Makarov
- Department of Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Helmholtz National Medical Research Center of Eye Diseases, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Boris E Malyugin
- Department of Anterior Segment Transplant and Optical Reconstructive Surgery, S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Complex Federal State Institution, Moscow, Russian Federation
- Department of Ophthalmology, A. Yevdokimov Moscow University of Medicine and Dentistry, Moscow, Russian Federation
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2
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Fang F, Li S, Sun H, Fu Y, Shao C. Clinical and pathologic characterization of a mouse model of graded limbal stem cell deficiency. Exp Eye Res 2024; 244:109942. [PMID: 38795839 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2024.109942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) is a clinically challenging eye disease caused by damage to limbal stem cells (LSCs). Currently, the international consensus classifies LSCD into three clinical stages based on the disease severity. However, no existing animal models attempt to replicate the varying degrees of LSCD observed in clinical cases. The present study demonstrates an easy-to-create, reproducible, and reliable mouse model of graded LSCD. To achieve mild, moderate, or severe LSCD, filter paper rings with a variety of central angles (90°, 180°, or 270°) are utilized to deliver alkali burns to different sizes of the limbal area (1, 2, or 3 quarters). The animal model has successfully resulted in the development of clinical signs and pathological manifestations in escalating severity that are similarly observed in the three clinical stages of LSCD. Our study thus provides new insights into distinct pathological features underlying different grades of LSCD and serves as a new tool for further exploring the disease mechanisms and developing new effective therapeutics for repairing damaged LSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Fang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China
| | - Shiding Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China
| | - Hao Sun
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yao Fu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China.
| | - Chunyi Shao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China.
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3
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Tax G, Guay KP, Pantalone L, Ceci M, Soldà T, Hitchman CJ, Hill JC, Vasiljević S, Lia A, Modenutti CP, Straatman KR, Santino A, Molinari M, Zitzmann N, Hebert DN, Roversi P, Trerotola M. Rescue of secretion of rare-disease-associated misfolded mutant glycoproteins in UGGT1 knock-out mammalian cells. Traffic 2024; 25:e12927. [PMID: 38272446 PMCID: PMC10832616 DOI: 10.1111/tra.12927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention of misfolded glycoproteins is mediated by the ER-localized eukaryotic glycoprotein secretion checkpoint, UDP-glucose glycoprotein glucosyl-transferase (UGGT). The enzyme recognizes a misfolded glycoprotein and flags it for ER retention by re-glucosylating one of its N-linked glycans. In the background of a congenital mutation in a secreted glycoprotein gene, UGGT-mediated ER retention can cause rare disease, even if the mutant glycoprotein retains activity ("responsive mutant"). Using confocal laser scanning microscopy, we investigated here the subcellular localization of the human Trop-2-Q118E, E227K and L186P mutants, which cause gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophy (GDLD). Compared with the wild-type Trop-2, which is correctly localized at the plasma membrane, these Trop-2 mutants are retained in the ER. We studied fluorescent chimeras of the Trop-2 Q118E, E227K and L186P mutants in mammalian cells harboring CRISPR/Cas9-mediated inhibition of the UGGT1 and/or UGGT2 genes. The membrane localization of the Trop-2 Q118E, E227K and L186P mutants was successfully rescued in UGGT1-/- cells. UGGT1 also efficiently reglucosylated Trop-2-Q118E-EYFP in cellula. The study supports the hypothesis that UGGT1 modulation would constitute a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of pathological conditions associated to misfolded membrane glycoproteins (whenever the mutation impairs but does not abrogate function), and it encourages the testing of modulators of ER glycoprotein folding quality control as broad-spectrum rescue-of-secretion drugs in rare diseases caused by responsive secreted glycoprotein mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabor Tax
- Leicester Institute of Chemical and Structural Biology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7HR, England, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin P. Guay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States
| | - Ludovica Pantalone
- Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Laboratory of Cancer Pathology, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Martina Ceci
- Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Laboratory of Cancer Pathology, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Tatiana Soldà
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, UniversitàdellaSvizzeraItaliana (USI), Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Charlie J. Hitchman
- Leicester Institute of Chemical and Structural Biology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7HR, England, United Kingdom
| | - Johan C. Hill
- Institute of Glycobiology, Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RQ, United Kingdom
| | - Snežana Vasiljević
- Institute of Glycobiology, Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RQ, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Lia
- Leicester Institute of Chemical and Structural Biology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7HR, England, United Kingdom
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, ISPA-CNR Unit of Lecce, via Monteroni, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Carlos P. Modenutti
- Departamento de QuímicaBiológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (FCEyN-UBA) e Instituto de QuímicaBiológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN) CONICET, Pabellón 2 de Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Kees R. Straatman
- Core Biotechnology Services, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, England, United Kingdom
| | - Angelo Santino
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, ISPA-CNR Unit of Lecce, via Monteroni, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Maurizio Molinari
- Institute of Glycobiology, Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RQ, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Zitzmann
- Institute of Glycobiology, Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RQ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel N. Hebert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States
| | - Pietro Roversi
- Leicester Institute of Chemical and Structural Biology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7HR, England, United Kingdom
- Institute of AgriculturalBiology and Biotecnology, IBBA-CNR Unit of Milano, via Bassini 15, I-20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Trerotola
- Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Laboratory of Cancer Pathology, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
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4
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Yang Y, Zhong J, Cui D, Jensen LD. Up-to-date molecular medicine strategies for management of ocular surface neovascularization. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2023; 201:115084. [PMID: 37689278 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.115084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Ocular surface neovascularization and its resulting pathological changes significantly alter corneal refraction and obstruct the light path to the retina, and hence is a major cause of vision loss. Various factors such as infection, irritation, trauma, dry eye, and ocular surface surgery trigger neovascularization via angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis dependent on VEGF-related and alternative mechanisms. Recent advances in antiangiogenic drugs, nanotechnology, gene therapy, surgical equipment and techniques, animal models, and drug delivery strategies have provided a range of novel therapeutic options for the treatment of ocular surface neovascularization. In this review article, we comprehensively discuss the etiology and mechanisms of corneal neovascularization and other types of ocular surface neovascularization, as well as emerging animal models and drug delivery strategies that facilitate its management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Yang
- Department of Cellular and Genetic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Junmu Zhong
- Department of Ophthalmology, Longyan First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Longyan 364000, Fujian Province, China
| | - Dongmei Cui
- Shenzhen Eye Hospital, Jinan University, Shenzhen Eye Institute, Shenzhen 518040, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Lasse D Jensen
- Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Division of Diagnostics and Specialist Medicine, Unit of Cardiovascular Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
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5
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Roshandel D, Semnani F, Rayati Damavandi A, Masoudi A, Baradaran-Rafii A, Watson SL, Morgan WH, McLenachan S. Genetic predisposition to ocular surface disorders and opportunities for gene-based therapies. Ocul Surf 2023; 29:150-165. [PMID: 37192706 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtos.2023.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The ocular surface, comprised of the corneal and conjunctival epithelium, innervation system, immune components, and tear-film apparatus, plays a key role in ocular integrity as well as comfort and vision. Gene defects may result in congenital ocular or systemic disorders with prominent ocular surface involvement. Examples include epithelial corneal dystrophies, aniridia, ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (EEC) syndrome, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), and hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy. In addition, genetic factors may interact with environmental risk factors in the development of several multifactorial ocular surface disorders (OSDs) such as autoimmune disorders, allergies, neoplasms, and dry eye disease. Advanced gene-based technologies have already been introduced in disease modelling and proof-of-concept gene therapies for monogenic OSDs. For instance, patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells have been used for modelling aniridia-associated keratopathy (AAK), XP, and EEC syndrome. Moreover, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing has been used for disease modelling and/or gene therapy for AAK and Meesmann's epithelial corneal dystrophy. A better understanding of the role of genetic factors in OSDs may be helpful in designing personalized disease models and treatment approaches. Gene-based approaches in monogenic OSDs and genetic predisposition to multifactorial OSDs such as immune-mediated disorders and neoplasms with known or possible genetic risk factors has been seldom reviewed. In this narrative review, we discuss the role of genetic factors in monogenic and multifactorial OSDs and potential opportunities for gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danial Roshandel
- Lions Eye Institute, Perth, WA, Australia; Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Farbod Semnani
- School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran; School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Amirmasoud Rayati Damavandi
- School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran; School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Masoudi
- Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alireza Baradaran-Rafii
- Department of Ophthalmology, Research Institute for Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Ophthalmology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Stephanie L Watson
- The University of Sydney, Save Sight Institute, Discipline of Ophthalmology, Sydney Medical School, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - William H Morgan
- Lions Eye Institute, Perth, WA, Australia; Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Samuel McLenachan
- Lions Eye Institute, Perth, WA, Australia; Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
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6
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Tax G, Guay KP, Soldà T, Hitchman CJ, Hill JC, Vasiljević S, Lia A, Modenutti CP, Straatman KR, Santino A, Molinari M, Zitzmann N, Hebert DN, Roversi P, Trerotola M. Rescue of secretion of a rare-disease associated mis-folded mutant glycoprotein in UGGT1 knock-out mammalian cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.30.542711. [PMID: 37398215 PMCID: PMC10312515 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.30.542711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention of mis-folded glycoproteins is mediated by the ERlocalised eukaryotic glycoprotein secretion checkpoint, UDP-glucose glycoprotein glucosyl-transferase (UGGT). The enzyme recognises a mis-folded glycoprotein and flags it for ER retention by reglucosylating one of its N-linked glycans. In the background of a congenital mutation in a secreted glycoprotein gene, UGGT-mediated ER retention can cause rare disease even if the mutant glycoprotein retains activity ("responsive mutant"). Here, we investigated the subcellular localisation of the human Trop-2 Q118E variant, which causes gelatinous droplike corneal dystrophy (GDLD). Compared with the wild type Trop-2, which is correctly localised at the plasma membrane, the Trop-2-Q118E variant is found to be heavily retained in the ER. Using Trop-2-Q118E, we tested UGGT modulation as a rescue-of-secretion therapeutic strategy for congenital rare disease caused by responsive mutations in genes encoding secreted glycoproteins. We investigated secretion of a EYFP-fusion of Trop-2-Q118E by confocal laser scanning microscopy. As a limiting case of UGGT inhibition, mammalian cells harbouring CRISPR/Cas9-mediated inhibition of the UGGT1 and/or UGGT2 gene expressions were used. The membrane localisation of the Trop-2-Q118E-EYFP mutant was successfully rescued in UGGT1-/- and UGGT1/2-/- cells. UGGT1 also efficiently reglucosylated Trop-2-Q118E-EYFP in cellula. The study supports the hypothesis that UGGT1 modulation constitutes a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Trop-2-Q118E associated GDLD, and it encourages the testing of modulators of ER glycoprotein folding Quality Control (ERQC) as broad-spectrum rescueof-secretion drugs in rare diseases caused by responsive secreted glycoprotein mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Tax
- Leicester Institute of Chemical and Structural Biology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7HR, England, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin P. Guay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States
| | - Tatiana Soldà
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Charlie J. Hitchman
- Leicester Institute of Chemical and Structural Biology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7HR, England, United Kingdom
| | - Johan C. Hill
- Institute of Glycobiology, Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RQ, United Kingdom
| | - Snežana Vasiljević
- Institute of Glycobiology, Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RQ, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Lia
- Leicester Institute of Chemical and Structural Biology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7HR, England, United Kingdom
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, ISPA-CNR Unit of Lecce, via Monteroni, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Carlos P. Modenutti
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (FCEyN-UBA) e Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN) CONICET, Pabellón 2 de Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Kees R. Straatman
- Leicester Institute of Chemical and Structural Biology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7HR, England, United Kingdom
- Core Biotechnology Services, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, England, United Kingdom
| | - Angelo Santino
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, ISPA-CNR Unit of Lecce, via Monteroni, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Maurizio Molinari
- Institute of Glycobiology, Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RQ, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Zitzmann
- Institute of Glycobiology, Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RQ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel N. Hebert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States
| | - Pietro Roversi
- Leicester Institute of Chemical and Structural Biology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7HR, England, United Kingdom
- Institute of Agricultural Biology and Biotecnology, IBBACNR Unit of Milano, via Bassini 15, I-20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Trerotola
- Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy; Laboratory of Cancer Pathology, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
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7
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Szabo R, Ward JM, Artunc F, Bugge TH. EPCAM and TROP2 share role in claudin stabilization and development of intestinal and extraintestinal epithelia in mice. Biol Open 2022; 11:275770. [PMID: 35730316 PMCID: PMC9294608 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
EPCAM (Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule) is a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed on the surface of most epithelial and epithelium-derived tumor cells and reported to regulate stability of epithelial tight junction proteins, claudins. Despite its widespread expression, loss of EPCAM function has so far only been reported to prominently affect intestinal development, resulting in severe early onset enteropathy associated with impaired growth and decreased survival in both humans and mice. In this study, we show that the critical role of EPCAM is not limited to intestinal tissues and that it shares its essential function with its only known homolog, TROP2 (Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2). EPCAM-deficient mice show significant growth retardation and die within four weeks after birth. In addition to changes in small and large intestines, loss of EPCAM results in hyperkeratosis in skin and forestomach, hair follicle atrophy leading to alopecia, nephron hypoplasia in kidney, proteinuria, and altered production of digestive enzymes by pancreas. Expression of TROP2 partially, but not completely, overlaps with EPCAM in a number developing epithelia. Although loss of TROP2 had no gross impact on mouse development and survival, TROP2 deficiency generally compounded developmental defects observed in EPCAM-deficient mice, led to about 60% decrease in embryonic viability, and further shortened postnatal lifespan of born pups. Importantly, TROP2 was able to compensate for the loss of EPCAM in stabilizing claudin-7 expression and cell membrane localization in tissues that co-express both proteins. These findings identify overlapping functions of EPCAM and TROP2 as regulators of epithelial development in both intestinal and extraintestinal tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Szabo
- Proteases and Tissue Remodeling Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Ferruh Artunc
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Nephrology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) at the University Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas H Bugge
- Proteases and Tissue Remodeling Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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